Chapter 100 Flower Banquet

Si Li walked in with a long smile. Without turning around, she could tell that Si Tang's nose was crooked from anger. The delicate and beautiful image that Si Tang had worked so hard to create was about to be completely ruined.

As soon as I stepped into the Prince of Yue's mansion, a maid came up to greet me, "Are you Miss Si? I'm Qinghe, please follow me."

At first glance, the maid's clothes seemed to be the same as those of the others waiting at the door, but Si Li saw her delicate inner lining and different temperament. She immediately knew that Qinghe was probably at least a second-class maid serving the master here. The reason why she was sent to pick her up must be that Jiang Shizhi had made advance arrangements at home.

Si Li's ears felt a little hot, and she smiled and said, "Sorry for the trouble. I only know that there is a banquet today, but I don't know the rules. Sister Qinghe, can you explain it to me?"

The maid Qinghe walked slowly and spoke softly, leading Si Li past the screen wall and corridor in front of the Yuewang Mansion. The Jiangnan garden-style design was refreshing, and even the usually dry air in the capital city had a little more moisture. By the time she saw the eaves of the flower hall and the faint fragrance floating in the air, Si Li had already understood this flower viewing banquet.

First they sat down to eat, recited poems, drank tea and ate cakes, and then everyone dispersed to appreciate the flowers. It wouldn't be too late to finish, so Si Li felt relieved. Because of the flower banquet, all the dishes ordered by Wanglaiju were delivered in the morning, but she was still a little worried about relying on Ah Xiang alone in the afternoon business, so it would be better if she could go back to watch.

The flower hall of the Prince of Yue's mansion was built deep in the garden, with white walls, green tiles, red pillars and carved railings, and curtains on all four sides. A few late-blooming chrysanthemums planted close to the garden were blooming obliquely in a corner, giving it a warm look.

Looking beyond the flower hall into the distance, one can see layers of low green clouds. If one only takes a quick glance, one might mistakenly believe that the Prince of Yue's Palace is in early spring.

Qinghe led Si Li to her seat. There were not many seats in the flower hall, only about thirty or forty in total. There were a lot of fruit plates and dried goods on the table. Si Li happened to sit in the first few seats on the right side.

On the right was a woman with a naive look in her eyes and eyebrows. She was dressed gorgeously and had an air of nobility. Du Xuan, who had seen her before and was kneeling beside her, showed a look of surprise when he saw her. The woman turned around following Du Xuan's gaze and nodded slightly to Si Li.

On the left was a bottle of green plums on the table, and the seat behind the green plums was still empty. Before Si Li had time to ask, she saw the two people from the Si Mansion, led by the maid, come to her left and sit down.

"Don't blame me, Miss Si. These plum vases are everywhere. If we move them away, it will ruin the view. If we are talking to relatives and friends, it won't affect anything." Qinghe looked at the people on both sides and apologized quietly. Si Li held back her smile and said, "Thank you."

The plum vases in the hall were placed in an orderly manner, with some separating one or two people, but she was separated from the Si family mother and daughter. This arrangement was clearly intentional, and I'm afraid Jiang Shizhi had it in mind.

"This is my duty, and I don't deserve your thanks. There are many things to do at the flower show. If you have something to do, please let me come find me. Don't go looking for plum blossoms alone." Qinghe bowed, said goodbye and left.

Without waiting for Madam Si to find an opportunity to speak, Si Li bowed to the woman on her right, "Princess Le'an is extremely beautiful. After seeing her today, I finally know what a beauty is. No wonder Master Du is best at painting beauties."

Princess Le'an covered her mouth and chuckled, "The shopkeeper is so sweet, it makes me suspect that this happened more than ten years ago. My son Du Xuan should be the same age as you. I owed your family a lot of food for the ice jelly incident. I don't know if I will have the chance to eat it again in the future."

"We only make so much every day. If the princess and Mr. Du want to eat some, just ask someone to place an order in advance." Si Li kept smiling, pretending she didn't know that it was Princess Le'an's mansion who tried to break the rules and force the purchase of food.

"Heh." Princess Le'an laughed and stopped talking. If others were faced with such an abrupt end to the topic, they would definitely feel awkward. However, the mother and daughter of the Si family were waiting to talk to Si Li next to her. As soon as Princess Le'an stopped talking, Mrs. Si took over the conversation, which made the table the first to become lively.

"Ali, you came out in a hurry. How come you didn't even wear the forbidden bracelet? Fortunately, your mother was afraid that you would be impatient, so she prepared an extra one. Look at this oriental pearl. It was specially sent by your uncle." Mrs. Si had a hypocritical smile on her face and took out a box. Inside was a tassel forbidden bracelet made of oriental pearls with soft light. When it was taken out, it collided with each other and made a pleasant sound.

Si Li was not interested in such a thing that restricted her movements. Besides, who knew if the mother and daughter of the Si family had done anything wrong with it? She raised her hand to stop Mrs. Si from hanging her hand. "Why do you have to do it, mother? I think the jade pendant on my sister is a little more lively and can't hold down her skirt today. Why don't you change it with this Dongzhu, which will also look more stable."

Si Tang was almost furious after hearing this. Si Li was obviously two years older than her, but she insisted on saying that she was dressed conservatively today. Wasn't she just humiliating her in a roundabout way?

Mrs. Si's expression paused slightly. She didn't expect that she would be rejected even though she was so humble. "How can this be? It is said that... your mother used it before she got married. It's not appropriate for Atang to wear it."

Si Tang looked a little embarrassed at being called rude, and when he heard that it was an old thing from the original owner's mother, Jian, Si Li took a closer look at the forbidden step and searched through the original owner's memory for a while, confirming that even the original owner had no impression of it.

Si Li curled her lips, "Is it appropriate? Atang has been wearing the jewelry given to me by my uncle and my mother for more than a day or two. I saw that she likes this string of forbidden steps so much that her face turned red. Just put it on. We are sisters, why should she be polite to me?"

The original owner had her things taken away on the pretext of "being her own sister" more than once or twice, but it was one thing to say it in the mansion and another to say it outside. Mrs. Si's face was cold, and she read a little impatience and ridicule in Si Li's eyes that did not smile.

Those who are barefoot are not afraid of those who wear shoes. Even if this matter is stirred up, the one who is right is the daughter left by the original wife. Others will not say that Si Li has no sisterhood. Instead, they will investigate how excessive the mother and daughter of the Si family have done at home to force others to make a scene in public.

Si Ji took a deep breath and smiled gently, "You are a very stubborn child. If you don't want to wear it, then don't wear it. Why bother letting Atang wear it? She is still young, why would she need to be so careful? Okay, mother will keep it for you, so that you won't cry again if you can't find it later."

The seats in the flower hall were gradually filled, leaving only the table at the top empty. The conversation between Si Li and Mrs. Si was in a low voice, which in the eyes of outsiders seemed to be the rumored very capable Miss Si who got along well with her stepmother. Even though her stepmother had just given her the cold shoulder, she continued to talk in a soft voice.

"She is a person with ideas and a good temper." Most of the ladies at the banquet have children of marriageable age. In addition to paying attention to their daughters, some are looking for future daughters-in-law. Wanglaiju is now well-known in the capital. Miss Si has managed a restaurant before she got married. She can be said to be a good housekeeper. A lot of attention has been paid to Si Li.

But then they thought of the rumors they had heard about the Prince of Yue's Palace, and the ladies who wanted to find a good daughter-in-law for their sons decided to wait and see.

"Your Highness, may you live forever!"

"His Royal Highness the Second Prince——"

"His Royal Highness the King of Yue and the Queen of Yue——"

"Si Tang is young? Not necessarily, isn't she already feeling amorous and wanting to get married?" Si Li's light sarcasm was drowned out by the noise coming from the front of the hall. She followed the movements of the person opposite her and knelt down. Madam Si beside her heard her sarcasm clearly, and her nails dug deep into her flesh.

After a "Please stand up" call, Si Li looked up again. The snow-like Crown Prince was holding a fat child in his hand. The child looked about the same age as Wang Xiaochong, and was climbing up the stool next to him. While looking at the child, Si Li suddenly felt someone staring at her. She turned her head and met the smiling eyes of Princess Shangyue.

As if she realized that she had been discovered, the Princess of Yue blinked her eyes with a playful look.

The Princess of Yue was small in stature. She sat next to the fat King of Yue. Her baby face made her look particularly young, and her eyes and eyebrows carried the unique charm of a Jiangnan beauty. When she opened her mouth, her Mandarin was mixed with a slightly gentle Wu accent, "It's winter again. Seeing the children who are like flower buds, I feel that I have become much younger." There were constant voices in the hall echoing this, but the voices were a little low, as if they were afraid of disturbing something.

Princess Yue turned to the side and stared at the crown prince who was sitting on the stool next to her. She suddenly smiled and said, "Is Hengyun too powerful here? Don't scare the little girls. My Jinhe is also very afraid of his cousin. It's normal for you to be afraid of his dark face. Ah Ping will stay here. The concubine is not feeling well. As a junior, you should take care of her."

Princess Jinhe is afraid of the prince? Si Li secretly curled her lips, she really didn't see it. The prince is a really good big brother, he is good to Jiang Shizhi and Princess Jinhe, and he is also patient with this half brother. He looks like an iceberg beauty, but in fact he seems like a worried old mother.

What a sin! How could she think like that?

The table at the top had already been occupied. Not only did Princess Jinhe, whom Jiang Shizhi had mentioned in advance, not show up, but even Jiang Shizhi himself did not show up, and no one knew what he was busy with.

"Okay, let's not talk about that anymore." Seeing the second prince Jiang Ping finally climbed onto the stool, the Princess of Yue took a bunch of green plum flowers from the maid's plate and said, "I heard that young people play the game of passing the flower with drums more often at poetry banquets. Today, I will also be young again with you and sing a song to pass the flower. Whoever's hand stops singing will show off his talent. How do you think?"

Now that we are here, naturally no one would oppose the princess's interest.

The prince's face was much more tense and colder than the previous two times he met him. After the Princess of Yue announced the start of the banquet, he stood up and left. Perhaps it was Si Li's illusion, but she always felt that his eyes swept over her when he left.

The banquet at the Yue Palace started with more than ten plates of fruit, each with its own deliciousness. The Yue Palace was able to eat off-season fruits in early winter, which showed its strength. The curtains around the hall were lowered, and the candles were lit, and the shadows of the flowers became shadowy, which showed the advantages of the modern glass greenhouse. Si Li was absent-mindedly listening to the singing and eating fruit, and suddenly thought of this and was relieved.

She seemed to have forgotten to ask the Jian family whether they had any large glass business. Selling glass windows and various chemical equipment to nobles and Taoist temples could also make a lot of money. What a mistake.

There was light singing and dancing in the hall, and the constantly moving velvet flowers brought a sense of urgency to the flower banquet. Some people wanted to show their talents while others didn't. Si Li was one of those people who just wanted to eat and wait for death.

However, some things are not under her control. Just after she put a grape into her mouth, she felt a gust of wind coming from the left side. Si Li subconsciously hit the object back, and the singing suddenly stopped.

Someone at the top chuckled, "Pretty sister!"

Si Tang's face turned red and pale as she held the velvet flower. She hesitated for a long time whether to be the first to do it herself, until her mother urged her to do so. She threw the velvet flower to Si Li, which was actually an unpleasant task. Who would have thought that Si Li would throw it back again? !

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The author has something to say:

Princess Yue: Hengyun scared the girls (future daughters-in-law).

Prince: She is afraid of me!

Lili: A boy mother, I want a boy mother! (No)